( Araya; CEO; Ryota Kanai, hereinafter " Araya"), an AI technology development and solution provider, in collaboration with Nishimatsu Corporation ( CEO; Nobutoshi Takase, President; hereinafter "Nishimatsu Construction"), has achieved the automation of the measurement device "Tunnel RemOS-Meas. (Tunnel RemOS-Meas.)*1 for measurement.
　 Arayais promoting the implementation of automation technology at construction sites. In the unmanned mountain tunneling face work that Nishimatsu is working on, the automation technology of Arayahas been incorporated into the measuring device, which is one of the systems for building remote and automated technology for various construction machines.

Concept of "Tunnel RemOS," an unmanned mountain tunnel construction system
(Tunnel RemOS is an abbreviation for Tunnel Remote and automated Operation System.)

　In the construction of mountain tunnels, there is a need to improve safety against rock collapse accidents at the face of a cut and to improve productivity in response to labor shortages caused by a decrease in the number of young workers entering the workforce. As one of the countermeasures, unmanned construction equipment (remote and automated construction equipment) is required to eliminate the need for on-site engineers and workers to enter the vicinity of the face, which is a particularly harsh environment.
　Against this backdrop, Nishimatsu is constructing "Tunnel RemOS," a technology for remote control and automation of various construction machines used in the construction of mountain tunnels. ArayaSo far, development has focused on "remote control" technology to remotely operate construction equipment from a distance away from the face of the tunnel. We will accelerate the "automation" of construction machinery by incorporating AI, SLAM*2, and other technologies in which excels.
　And now, as a first step in the development of automation technology, we have developed and conducted on-site trials of automated operation technology for "Tunnel RemOS-Meas.", a device for remotely operating measurement work in mountain tunnel construction. This will automate the movement of the device from the parking area to the face of the tunnel, eliminating the need for the remote operation with a tablet that was previously required.

　The newly developed automated operation technology automates the movement of equipment between the parking area and the face of the tunnel using SLAM.
　Based on point cloud data of the tunnel wall and surrounding environment acquired by LiDAR, the SLAM software in the control PC estimates its own position and automatically operates the equipment between the parking area and the face of the tunnel while maintaining a certain distance from the side wall. The system also uses LiDAR to detect surrounding construction equipment, people, and the face of the cut, so it can not only detect and avoid collisions with obstacles, but can also arrive at and stop at the goal point of the cut. At the parking location, the AR markers installed in advance are viewed by the camera, allowing the aircraft to park and depart with good accuracy. The system is controlled remotely using a tablet for driving and measuring, and the settings can be switched on the screen for automatic operation.
　By utilizing the automatic operation for routine daily measurement tasks such as taking photographs of the face, it is expected to improve labor productivity by eliminating the need to move and operate the equipment. In the future, this know-how is expected to be used to automate other types of construction equipment, leading to the early realization of unmanned face work.

Overview of automatic operation of equipment for mountain measurement

Equipments to be mounted on equipment for measurement

Example of data acquired by SLAM and during automatic operation
[Video: https://youtu.be/Ws6CO53fUis]

　In the future, we will continue to improve the developed automation technology through repeated trials in the test yard and in the field, and contribute to the automation of overall measurement work on the face, such as taking face photographs, with the technology of Araya. In addition, by utilizing the knowledge gained from this development and promoting the automation of other elemental technologies of "Tunnel RemOS," we aim to realize unmanned face work as soon as possible.

*1 A device developed by Nishimatsu Construction Co., Ltd. and Geo Machine Engineering Co., Ltd. to remotely measure the area near a face, such as taking a photo of the face with a camera and measuring the geometry with a scanner.
May 19, 2021 Nishimatsu news release: (Japanese only)
Development of "Tunnel RemOS-Meas." for remote measurement work in mountain tunnel construction - Unmanned measurement work near tunnel face
*2 SLAM (Simultaneous Localization And Mapping): A technology that simultaneously estimates (localization) and maps (mapping) one's location based on data acquired by distance sensors and cameras.
*3 LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging): Technology to measure the distance, direction, and nature of an object based on the time it takes for a laser beam to hit the object and bounce back. It is used for automatic driving, etc.

　Nishimatsu is widely engaged in the construction of roads, dams, and other public facilities, urban redevelopment, and other projects to improve safe and secure social infrastructure and create a comfortable environment. In tunnel construction, we are working to reduce the risk of damage to as close to zero as possible by moving toward unmanned and automated excavation sites.